Page 11 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens

Sleep. I just needed sleep, before I completely lost my mind.

I wrapped my wrist in a cloth to stop the bleeding, and to cover it from my own eyes, because in the back of my mind—even if I wouldn’t ever admit it—I knew. I knew what this was.

A death sentence.

A horrified scream—my own horrified scream—disturbed the sounds of nature around me. Sharp pain came in a new wave, even more powerful than before, making my legs give up.

My whole body was on fire, consumed by it. The scream didn’t stop, growing louder than ever, until my head spun so much my vision went bright white, then completely disappeared.

My consciousness was leaving my body, leaving the pain to take its place, and I was ready to accept my fate, ready to welcome death—begging it to take me away.

Chapter 4

Crimson Wine

My fingers brushed through the soft covers of my bedding, enjoying the sensation; the fur felt as though it was made of fine silk. I covered my head with the blanket, sighing. Oh, how I wished I could stay in bed for the rest of the day.

Soon enough, Mories would come into my rooms to help me prepare for the day. Of course, I was no longer in need of her help, but in the last month I'd been grateful for her company.

She seemed to not let me out of her sight after my birthday ball. After all, she had been the one to calm my tears.

If it weren’t for her status, I was sure she would have strangled Timothy with her bare hands after she saved me that night.

Timothy.I had humiliated him in front of everyone last night, and—regardless of how much my mother punished me for such an outburst—it felt incredible. My lips spread into a grin as I remembered his face falling the moment he had realized what I had done.

My grin fell flat as the rest of the memories about last night caught up to me. The fine silk covers I was clinging onto were suddenly replaced by briar.

My eyes stumbled around not recognizing the room I was in. The walls were made of dark stone, the ceiling held a black metal chandelier with long extinguished candles on it. A painting of awoman with a black widow instead of a mouth stared at me from the opposite wall. My head was spinning as I realized the whole room was black and certainly not mine.

“You shouldn’t have brought her here.” A quiet voice came from behind the black wooden door.

Dear Gods! Dear Gods, help me.My lungs squeezed all the air out; icy sweat broke through my palms.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

No.

Gods, please, no!

My body shivered at the familiar accent coming in reply. “Leave her alone in the woods?” the voice continued. “Besides, she is his last creation, she might be of use.”

Run! Hide!My mind screamed at me. As though my soul left my body, I looked at the room through someone else's eyes. My body did not belong to me any longer.

My body moved away from the door without my command. Slowly, my shaky legs carried me through the room towards the farthest corner.